noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ækʃən
CMU ARPABET:D IH0 S T R AE1 K SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Something that distracts.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Poking one's eye is a good distraction from a hurting toe.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The process of being distracted.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
We have to reduce distraction in class if we want students to achieve good results.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Perturbation; disorder; disturbance; confusion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Mental disarray; a deranged state of mind; insanity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
The incessant nightmares drove him to distraction.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Traction so exerted as to separate surfaces normally opposed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
Topics: medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
the act of distracting; drawing someone's attention away from something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
conjurers are experts at misdirection
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: misdirection
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: revision, alteration
7
noun
Meaning 7
an entertainment that provokes pleased interest and distracts you from worries and vexations
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
